Wild Weekend
by Blue-Monoceros
Summary: Our favorite team goes camping along with Janet and Cassandra Fraiser. Naturally, things don't go quite as smoothly as they had planned.
1. Chapter 1

Sam Carter awoke to a gentle tapping sound and for a few moments, couldn't remember where she was. She blinked away the blurry image of the glass window only a few inches from her face, and her tired eyes began to make out the streaming paths of water cascading across the glass. Further out, hundreds of tall, thick pine trees stood, siloetted against the dark morning sky and sailed by as if on a treadmil. She remembered now.

SG1 had been placed on two weeks downtime after General Hammond had said their performances were suffering from being overworked. Colonel Jack O'Neill had quickly planned a group getaway, and they all found themselves on the road with a destination for a weekend camping trip, deep in the heart of the Colorado Nation Forest. Teal'c had been the smart one, requesting to go to Chulak for some time to visit with his son.

Sam stretched, trying not to disturb the young girl, who sat curled up sleeping against her side. Janet and Cassandra Fraiser had also been looped into this little field trip, as it was Spring break from school for Cassandra, and Janet herself could always use a little time away. Now the two women and young girl found themselves in the backseat of Janet's SUV, at an insanely early hour, with Colonel O'Neill driving them to some surprise location, for a weekend of "fun".

Sam looked around the car and had to admit, that even the car ride was comfortable and relaxing. The gentle sound of the morning rain pattering against the windshield, and the steady rythm of the windshield wipers keeping the glass clear was enough to lull everyone into a peaceful sleep. Everyone except Jack, who now sat leaning against the steering wheel, attempting to stretch out the muscles in his back. The same muscles that Sam, at this moment, could see flexing and stretching under the fabric of his T-shirt. It was a rare occasion that Sam would allow herself the small appreciation for the physical appearance of her commanding officer. But after all, she was a woman, and she did enjoy looking from time to time.

Jack sat back in his seat and slowed the vehicle before making a smooth turn, with a not so smooth ending. The SUV bounced roughly into a large pothole, resulting in two simultaneous thumps of skulls against windows and Daniel and Janet to wake instantly. Jack's surprised eyes looked up into the rearview mirror and the grin in them made Sam smirk.

"Where are we?" Daniel asked, rubbing his head.

"I have no idea."

"What?" Janet and Daniel both exclaimed.

"Relax, I'm kidding. We're almost there. There should be a little bait shop up here a few miles. Last chance to get anything you may have forgot to bring."

"I could use a pitstop." Janet said through a yawn.

"Agreed."

They had been crammed in the vehicle for nearly four hours and could all use a leg stretch and a bathroom break. The SUV bounced again from another deep rut, and jerked the young girl from her nap.

"Geez Jack, do we have to hit every single bump?" she whined

"Its a dirt road. There's bumps. I can't help it."

"Have you tried slowing down?" Janet added.

"First rule, no telling the driver how to drive."

Cassie rolled her eyes and slouched down in the seat, lifting her feet up onto the center counsel and against Jack's elbow. He looked at the girl in the rearview and then down at the small hiking boot that had invaded his space. He non-discretely reached down and pulled her shoelace, causing them to unknot and fall loose around her ankle. Janet looked at her daughter, to gauge the reaction, but was met with only tired eyes and a yawn.

"Someone's cranky this morning." she teased.

"I am not. I'm just tired of being in the car."

"I agree." Daniel added from the front seat.

"Relax whiners, It's only about another twenty miles or so."

"So, whats the first plan of action when we get there, oh great leader?" Daniel asked while wiping his glasses on his shirt.

"Ther is no plan Daniel. Thats the point of a getaway trip. Its supposed to get you away from plans and rules."

"Then why did you set rules?" Cassie asked.

"What?"

"You said rule one, no telling the driver how to drive. If the point was to get away from rules, wouldn't we all start telling you how to drive now?"

"Oh for cryin out loud. Since when did you start analyzing every thing I say huh?"

Janet grinned at her daughter. Though the girl was only eleven, she was extrememly smart and quick whitted for her age. Having influences in her life like the members of SG1 had helped mold the girl into a the bright young woman she was becoming. When the girl was around Jack O'Neill, Janet sometimes found herself rolling with laughter at the constant squabbling. They were very much alike.

A rickety old building cam into view as the vehicle bounced roughly down the rocky dirt road. Covered with an old tin roof, colored from years of shaded rust, that failed to reflect the and light. Jack pulled the SUV into the rough uneven parking lot and came to a stop in from of the splittery old wooden porch that ran along the front of the building. The rain made small metalic pinging sounds as it landed against the tin roof and rolled down, collecting some rust, before falling and exploding on impact with the warped wooden porch.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather use a bush Janet?" Daniel asked, peeking out the window.

"Oh come on, its not that bad. Its just old and localized." Jack argued, pulling on his hat.

"I don't know sir. Haven't you ever seen Deliverance?" Sam added.

"Oh for cryin out loud. You can all stay in the car if you want, but I want a pepsi."

Jack quickly opened the door and ducked out, before slamming it shut and covering the distance to the covered porch in a few steps. Janet sighed and followed, with Sam at her heels.

"Just me and you huh?" Daniel said, turning in his seat to look at Cassandra.

"There's nothing in there worth getting all wet for."

A small jingle from a brass bell sounded as Jack pushed open the door to the small shop and was slightly surprised by what he saw. Aside from the shops shabby exterior, inside is was very clean, cozy, and organized. A few short shelved aisles sat parrallel to each other in the center of the room, covered with miscelaneous items and snack foods. The front checkout counter was made of a thick dark wood with handcarved designs decorating it. In the far back corner, a large stone fireplace roared in front of two large worn sofas, and a square coffee table, littered with carved in intials of dozens of shop visitors.

"Mornin!"

An elderly man peeked up from behind the woodwork counter and smiled happily at Jack.

"You're out and about mighty early."

"Yeah. I'm surprised you're even open."

"Oh shoot mister," he smiled, "I'm the only supply store for an easy thirty miles. No such thing as nine to five when there's huntin to be done."

The little bell jingled, and a wet Sam and Janet stood in the little doorway, staring in.

"Well come on in ladies. Have a sit by the fire" the man grinned a cheerful smile and pointed.

"Oh, actually, do you have a restroom?"

"Sure! Straight back, first door on the left."

Sam and Janet disappeared in to the small room and the man turned back to Jack.

"So what bring you all the way out here son?" Elk? Moose? Bear?"

"Oh, no, we're not hunting. Just here for a little camping. Maybe do some fishing."

"Wonderful. Where abouts are you aiming to camp?"

"Well, we were thinkin of following the Windsong trail up away from the road and setting up camp somewhere off the trail."

"Hmm, there ain't much water up in those parts, and its pretty populated this time a year."

"Oh yeah? Where would you suggest?"

"I'll tell ya what, have a look around the shop awhile, I'll make a phone call to my son. He's a ranger up here. I'm sure he'll know of a good spot for ya."

"Hey thanks."

Jakc nodded and began walking through the narrow aisles, looking for anything that caught his eye. He grabbed a few small bags of beef jerky in a couple different flavors, along with a pack of gum, a handful of candybars, and of course, his cold pepsi. He walked around and studied a few photographs hanging on the wall. Photos of hunters holding up their claimed record breaking kill. Jack stopped and studied the mounted head of a large elk and just couldn't really find the thrill in killing the animal. He had always been a fan of fishing, but couldn't ever really get interested in hunting.

"Beauty aint she?" the store clerk said from behind him. "My son got him just a few miles from here when he was fifteen years old. All of these are family trophies."

"Nice."

"Well, I got a couple of locations that might be good for you."

The man walked over to the small sofa by the fireplace and spread out a map over the coffee table.

"For a fit young man like yourself, I'd recommend the Arrowhead trail. Its a good hike off the road, but an easy skip over to a short easy path back down, should you need down in a hurry. Your women friends looked sturdy enough to make the hike, and it leads straight up to the best trout fishin lake around."

"Sounds great, but maybe something with a little easier of a hike. I need something an eleven year old girl would have fun with."

"Alright. Then your best bet would be the Blackfoot trail. Its more of a scenic hike that will bring you up to the opposite end of the same lake. Its only about three miles off the main road, but in a four wheel drive you can pull right up to the lake. The only people you'll see up there are occasional fishermen, and the patroling rangers. They have a quarters cabin up there somewhere."

"Thats sounds perfect."

The old man smiled and began mapping out the route on the map for Jack, while directing him how to follow it. Sam and Janet walked out of the ladies room and stopped behind the two men. They listened in on the directions and had to agree, it did sound like a nice place.

"Now, do you all have fishing licenses?"

"No, we'll need two adults and one child."

"Sir, don't we need four adult?"

"I've already got one and Daniel won't fish. Trust me, I've tried. He'll just sit and read one of his history books."

"Colonel, Cassie and I don't have any fishing poles." Janet informed. "I don't even know how to fish."

"Don't worry about that!" the man smiled. "Ive got a great selection of fishing tackle."

"Great, get Cass in here to pick out some stuff."

Janet walked out onto the porch and waved at Cassie to come in. By this time the sun was rising, casting a pink hue the breaking up clouds, and over the trees. Cassandra sighed and tied her shoe before hopping out of the SUV and tiptoeing through the mud until she was on the porch next to her mother.

"Come pick out some fishing stuff. We're gonna be camping by a lake now."

"Seriously?" Cassie's eyes lit up at the prospect of trying something new. Jack had planned to take her a few months previous, but something else came up, as things often did with SG1.

Cassandra hurried into the shop and came up beside Jack, who was skimming through various sorts of colorful jars and fake insects on hooks. Janet came up beside her and pointed to the wall lined with fishing poles of various colors and sizes. Cassie's smile widened like a child opening a Christmas present. A few minutes later, she had picked out a black pole, with bright pink designs on it, and Jack handed her a small jar of orange and yellow putty.

The small group carried their selection of various items to the front of the store and placed them on the hand carved counter. The clerk took his place behind the counter and rang up all of their supplies, along with the jerky, gum, candy, and pepsi that Jack had set aside earlier.

"That'll be thirty-one, eighty two."

Sam arched an eyebrow at the man's ridiculous miscalculations.

"Uh, did you ring up the food and licenses too?"

"Yes sir. Two adult and one child. Thirty-one eighty two. With your military discount."

"How did you know we are military?" Sam asked

"Young lady, I may be old, but I'm not deaf yet. I've heard the words sir and Colonel at least a half dozen times since you walked in here."

"Right."

The simple words slipped so easily off their lips, that they hadn't even noticed they'd been saying them. Cassandra looked up at them smugly. They all looked embarrassed and not really sure what to do about it.

"Don't worry. Most of our regular folks out here have been in the services at one point or another. I know how it slips."

"yeah, well, Thank you sir for the map."

"You bet. Have a great weekend. And say hello to Devin for me."

"Who?"

"You'll know her when you see her." the man laughed.

Daniel was slightly surprised by the amount of stuff that his friends carried out of the shop. It had stopped raining now and everyones spirits seemed to be rising with the sun. Cassie skipped happily with her new fishing pole, and splashed through the puddles that had formed in the bumpy parking lot. Janet grimaced as the muddy water splashed up onto her jeans.

"Stop splashing Cass, we don't have a way to wash and dry clothes here."

"Come on mom, I didn't get you that good."

"I was thinkin more about your socks. I don't want to be stuck camping with a little girl with a cold cause she didn't listen to her mother."

Cassie rolled her eyes, but stopped splashing. Janet knew how to have a good time, but she was first a doctor and protective mother. Cassie had no complaints, she had an amazing family of friends that made her friends from school seem boring. She was proud to tell people that her mother was a doctor in the Air Force.

Once they were all situated into their spots in the SUV, Jack handed the map back to Sam.

"Navigate that for me Carter. Hope you don't mind getting this thing a little dirty Doc."

Cassandra's eyes lit up. She had ridden in her mother's Tahoe more times then she could count, but she had never seen her use the four wheel drive. Not even during last winter's snow storm when there were reports of cars sliding off the roads and into ditches. Janet had just slowed down and expertly manuvered the vehicle across the icey spots, and hired Michael Callaghan from down the street to shovel the snow from the sidewalk and driveway. Putting the SUV into four wheel drive and splashing the mud up on the shiney black Tahoe was a very exciting idea for the girl. Especially with Jack O'Neill at the wheel.

"The turn should be right up here on the left sir." Sam directed, a good twenty minutes later.

Jack spotted the double tire track path and slowed the vehicle, turning into it. He stopped and looked ahead at the narrow, steep path.

"Are you sure about that Jack?" Daniel asked, eyes glued to the trail. "It looks like a 4 wheeler trail."

"Sure, its not that bad. I've done much worse."

Jack pulled the gear shift into its lowest gear and locked the Tahoe into 4 Low. Slowly they crept up the steep path, tires occasionally spinning before catching traction and continuing to pull the vehicle along. They reached the top of the small hill, and all eyes widened when the road vanished. Jack tapped the brakes, stopping the truck,and stared over the hood at the cast tops of the thick pines that stretched on for miles. A ways below them, he could see the crystal blue lake, snaking through the trees and reflecting the now clear bright sky.

"Look at that." Jack said.

"I don't mean to spoil the mood Jack, but where is the road?"

"Its right under us Daniel. Its just a little steep."

"A little?"

Jack brushed off the comment and slowly crept the vehicle forward, until the whole thing tilded forward like a seasaw, and they could see the road again. Jack expertly worked the brake pedal and steering wheel, slowly coasting around big rocks and low hanging trees. Sam and Janet braced themselves against the bumps and sways, while Cassie squealed in delight as she let herself be bounced around like a rag doll. Finally the path evened out and a sigh of relief flooded at Jack from the back seat.

"See Doc, that wasn't so bad."

Janet realeased her grip on the handle above her head, and let the blood flow back to her hand. Sam smirked at her, and she blushed.

"Sir, make a right and follow that road for about two miles."

Jack nodded and made the hairpin turn onto the small rutted road. The morning rain had run down the sides of the mountain, pooling in the low treads of the road. Jack slowly manuvered up against the side of the slope, where the water wasn't as deep. Cassie watched out the window, waiting for something exciting to happen. Janet looked over at the excited child, then at the Colonel. Jack's jaw clenched, as he fought his urge to romp through the muddy mess. If he had been in his own truck, he would have plowed through it in an instant. Janet sighed.

"Well Colonel, I thought you were gonna get this thing dirty."

Everyone looked shocked at the small doctor. She smiled and winked at her daughter. Jack grinned and gripped the steering wheel tighter. He moved his foot over the accelerator and double checked the rearview. He pressed the pedal slowing, causing the Tahoe to speed up. The wheels spun in the slick mud and splashed slimey mud up over the hood and across the windshield. Jack switched on the windshield wipers to clear his line of vision. Cassie squealed as they slid and turned sideways. Jack turned the wheel quickly against the slide and gave the engine more throttle and straightened them out. He felt the effort in the spinning tires and turned the wheel back and forth, trying to dislodge them. The treads of the tires finally caught and the Tahoe sailed forward and splashed out of the water. The smacking of mud against the tire wells was covered by the sounds of the women and girl laughing in the backseat. Jack hadn't heard the women laugh that hard in a very long time. This trip was going to be good for them all.

Twenty minutes later, the lake finally came into view. Jack grinned and pulled the vehicle into a small clearing off to the side of the trail.

"Wow, that guy was right, this is beautiful." Janet said, shutting her door behind her.

The team piled out of the Tahoe and gathered along the shoreline of the placid lake. Jack took a deep breath of fresh mountain air, while twisting out the knot in his back. he bent down and picked up a smooth stone. He ran his thumb over the smooth surface and wrapped his finger around its edge. Squinting against the warm sun, he flung the stone, with just the right amount of backspin to accomplish a triple skip across the smooth water, sending out circles of ripples before sinking below the surface.

The morning sun was begining to warm the air and the wild birds were singing happily in the trees around them as they unloaded the SUV and began setting up the tents.


	2. Chapter 2

The morning sun was begining to warm the air and the wild birds were singing happily in the trees around them as they unloaded the SUV and began setting up the tents. Janet had pulled a bunch of drinks from an ice chest, and she and Daniel began making up some sandwiches for lunch. Cassandra plopped down into a collapsable chair that she had set up in front of the larger of the two tents, and pulled open a bag of potato chips. Jack walked by with his sandwich in one hand and reached into the bag pulling out a handful of chips, dropping a few into Cassie's lap. The girl laughed and picked up the fallen chips and threw them back at him as he walked away. Just as the group was settling down for their lunch, the sound of an engine and shifting rocks signaled a vehicle approaching on the path. A lifted white pickup truck pulled to a stop next to the Tahoe, and looking closely they could make out the seal of the National Forest Rangers underneath a thick layer of mud and water.

The door to the truck popped open and the young female ranger hopped out, followed closely by a large white dog that resembled a wolf that Cassie had seen in one of her books while working on a report on Colorado's Wildlife. The dog stood loyally at the ranger's side as she cleared the radio mic at her shoulder and leaned into the truck to find her clipboard. Jack half jokingly tilted his head looking at the Ranger's tight fitted pants, causing Cassandra to roll her eyes and grin. Finally she pulled the clipboard from its place in the glovebox and turned toward the group. Jack studied the woman as she pushed down at the neck of the bulky kevlar vest she wore under the tan uniform shirt.

"Mornin!" she called out, as she studied the campsite through her dark tinted sunglasses. "Ole Ben down at the shop told me he sent some folks up this way. Just thought I'd come up and make sure you made it alright."

Even through the sunglasses, Jack could feel the ranger looking them over, sizing them up, and even though she smiled a bright happy smile, Jack could tell she was doing some serious recon of their camp, and couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with it.

"Morning!" Daniel answered standing and shaking her hand. "Thanks for checking on us. We're all fine."

"You folks gonna be doing some fishing?"

"Thats the plan." Jack added from his corne position in a chair next to Cassandra.

The Ranger turned and stared at him for a second before one corner of her mouth pulled up slightly in a smirk.

"I assume you have lisences that I can take a look at?"

"Sure."

Jack dug into his pocket and pulled out the lisences he had purchased and handed them to the Ranger. She read them over then looked at him over the top of her glasses.

"Can I see IDs from Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter, and Janet Fraiser." she said looking around the group. "Not that I don't trust you, I just have to make sure the names match." she added.

While the Ranger checked over the IDs and fishing lisences, Cassandra stared at the big white dog that sat next to the Ranger's truck staring back at her with beautiful blue eyes.

"Can I pet your dog?" she asked without looking at the woman.

The woman looked down at Cassie and then at the dog.

"Sure," she answered and Cassie stood and walked over to the dog and crouched in front of it.

Cassie then ignored all conversations going on between the adults as she ran her hand over the dog's smooth thick fur and scratched behind it's perked ears. The dog happily licked at the girl's face, causing her to giggle and wipe her chin on her sleeve.

"Thanks," the Ranger said handing back the IDs. "Actually, I didn't come up here just to check fishing lisences." she confessed.

She pulled a small wallet sized photo from the clipboard she held in her hand and handed to Sam.

"That is eight year old Rebecca Jamison. She went missing from her home just three days ago and we are on alert that they may be in the area. When I heard a group came up here with a little girl, I had to check it out. Aparently Ben hasn't been around children in a very long time, because she is obviously not eight." she motioned to Cassandra.

"Are you saying this girl was kidnapped?" Janet asked handing the photo to Daniel.

"Yes Ma'am. Mr. and Mrs. Jamison recieved a ransom letter from the kidnappers only hours after Rebecca disappeared. I wouldn't be too alarmed though. It's highly unlikely that they are still in the area, but should you see anything out of the ordinary, please give our office a call." She handed Jack a business card with the Ranger seal stamped underneath the different phone numbers.

"Are we in danger here?" Sam asked nodding toward the girl and dog.

"No Ma'am. If these guys are still in the area, which I doubt, they will be keeping an extremely low profile and if they don't suspect that you can offer them more then the six million they're demanding from the Jamison's, you'll never know they're here. Besides, you all seem like a group that can take good care of themselves."

She looked directly at Jack as she said this last line. Jack stared at himself in the reflection of her glasses for a microsecond, before nodding his understanding. She had obviously pegged him as the leader of the group and he couldn't help but be impressed.

"What's your dog's name?" Cassie yelled, getting the attention from the adults.

"Kodesh. Koda for short."

The dog's ears perked at the mention of his name, and Daniel looked wide eyed at the Ranger.

"Kodesh? As in the holy one?"

The woman raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"I'm impressed. Not a lot of Hebrew speakers in Colorado."

"Oh, I'm a linguist. Dr. Daniel Jackson." he introduced and shook her hand.

"Devin."

"Would you like a drink or something?" Janet offered breaking the Ranger's stare on Daniel.

"Ah, no thanks. I have to get going. Hey, if you guys need anything, anything at all, there's a Ranger's field cabin just on the other side of the lake. If there isn't anyone there, there is a phone that will put you through to dispatch."

"Oh ok. Good to know." Daniel said and walked the Ranger back to her truck.

She opened the door and the dog gave Cassandra a lick on the hand before jumping in and into the backseat. The woman stepped up onto the steel step and into the pickup after shaking all of their hands and smiling down at Cassandra.

"Have a great weekend. Oh and Dr. Jackson, Kol HaKavod." she said before winking and shutting the door.

Once the ranger and driven away and they could no longer hear the engine of the truck, the team sat down to finish their lunch.

"Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like we've been strip searched?" Janet asked causing Cassie to giggle.

"Nah, You're not the only one Doc. She was very good."

"I liked her." Daniel added with a grin.

"Just cause her dog had a weird name. By the way, what did she say before she left?"

"It was Hebrew. Kind of like a goodbye and respects."

"Right. Lets fish."


	3. Chapter 3

"Jack?" Cassie started as she cast her line out onto the lake, "Are forest rangers like policemen?"

"Uh, yeah I guess so. They do all kinds of stuff."

"Like what?"

"Well, they keep campers and hikers safe. They make sure that no one is going to accidently set the forest on fire, and that people aren't feeding the wild animals. Stuff like that."

"What do they keep campers safe from?"

"Animals mostly. We have to be careful not to leave food laying around our camp so bears don't come snooping around."

"There's bears out here?" the girl looked shocked.

"They're out there somewhere."

"I forget about them in my report."

She focused at the floating bobber attached to her fishing line as it bobbed up and down on the small current of the lake. Just as Cassandra was going to ask another question, Janet jumped up from her chair and tugged roughly at her fishing pole.

"Geez!" she exclaimed surprised when her pole nearly jerked from her hands.

"Reel it in Doc." Jack laughed.

"I'm trying. Is there some sort of technique to this?"

"Not really, just reel it, and keep pulling at the line."

Jack reeled in his line and set his pole down before walking over to the small doctor, who was now standing knee deep in the cold water. Sam was standing back on the shoreline watching the lake for a sign of the fish attached to Janet's line. Jack quickly grabbed a net and walked out into the water, standing a few feet in front of Janet. Finally, the large fish splashed at the surface of the lake a few feet in front of Jack and Janet took another step forward, pulling at the pole and reeling in the line as fast as she could. Suddenly the line when slack and Janet nearly fell over backwards, her feet slipping in the mud as she tried to catch her balance. Jack sighed and turned back to the shore, where Sam was standing with Cassie, watching the scene. Janet finally caught herself, and looked sheepishly at Jack.

"What happened?"

"It broke the line."

"It broke the line? I thought fishing line was supposed to be strong. People catch much bigger fish then that on that line don't they?"

"Yeah, but he just put up a good fight. He didn't want to be dinner."

Janet looked out at the lake disappointed, then down at her soaked muddy pants.

"I don't wanna fish anymore." she pouted

"Oh come on Mom, it was just one fish."

"Hey, that water is cold."

"Then why did you jump in it?"

"I didn't mean to."

"You better change your sock or you'll get a cold. I don't want to be stuck camping with a lady with a cold." Cassie teased.

"Zip it." Janet teased.

"I think its time for all of us to pack it up. We have to clean the fish that we caught and throw them on the fire for dinner." Jack told the girl.

"How do you clean a fish?"

Jack's grin widened and Sam looked sick.

"Come on, I'll show ya."

The group sat in a circle around the firepit that Sam had put together, and Jack tossed the fish down on the lid of the ice chest. He pulled a sharp knife from his tackle box and flashed it at Cassandra, who stared wide eyed at the fish. Jack proceeded to cut into the fish and clean it out, trying to remove the tiny bones as he went. Cassie made disgusted faces at the mess he was making of the poor animal, but couldn't make herself look away. She imagined that if she ever got lost out in the woods, or went camping without Jack someday, it would be good to know how to clean a fish. Janet looked on at her daughter, surprised at the girl's morbid interested in the mutalation of the creature.

"I'm so glad we aren't hunting." Janet said quietly to Sam as they stoked up a fire, and warmed up a can of corn.

"Yeah, no kidding."

By the time Jack and Cassie had finished cleaning the fish and put them on a rack over the fire, the sun was begining to set and the temperature was slowly dropping. Daniel had put his book away and sat on the dirt playing cards with Janet and Sam.

"What are you guys playin?" Cassie asked coming up and sitting on next to her mother, leaning on her knee and looking at her cards.

"Canasta." Janet answered, throwing down a discard.

"How do you play?"

Jack sighed as Sam began explaining the fundamentals of the game to the girl and quickly gave up trying to follow along. He flipped the fish on the fire and walked back to the Tahoe. He opened up the rear cargo door and dug through his pack for his sweatshirt. Finding the shirt, he removed his hat and pulled it over his head before yelling back to the group.

"Anyone else want something from their bag?"

"Can you grab my sweater sir?"

Jack pushed his pack aside and dug through the scattered gear until he spotted Carters bag. He picked up the Air Force duffle and wondered how many times his second in command had actually used the bag. She wasn't really known for her traveling or vacations. In fact it was quite the opposite, she rarely left the SGC. His thoughts quickly vanished as he opened the bag and was met by an assortment of sporty underwear splayed out across the top of the contents.

"Uh, where is it Carter?" he yelled.

"It's in my bag, probably at the bottom."

"Of course it would be." he whispered to himself.

Dramatically, Jack closed his eyes and stuck his hand deep into the bag, feeling his way through Carter's personal belongings, and couldn't help but to feel weird about doing it. Finally, his hand made contact with a string, and he wrapped it around his hand, hoping it was the drawstring to her sweatshirt. He pulled, pushing at the other items of the bag, as they threatened to spill out all over the back of the car. With one last tug the sweatshirt came free and he unwrapped his hand and zipped the bag back up. He tossed the sweatshirt to Sam and walked back to his fish, that were getting a little too cooked on the one side.

Cassie watched as Sam pulled the sweater over her head and made a weird face at the drawstring. Cassie laughed loudly at the string that reached from the neck of the sweater down to Sams lap, while the other end was pulled tight up against her neck. Sam's face scrunched as she tried to figure out how it had become so lopsided. The women all looked at Jack, who poked at the fire and shrugged at them.

Shortly after, they had finished eating their dinne, with only a few minor incidents with the hair then fish bones, and Daniel and Sam set to cleaning up the paper dishes into a large garbage bag. Janet sat in front of the fire with her daughter sitting against her side, waiting anxiously as Janet opened the bag of oversized marshmellows and handed them to the girl. Cassie quickly stabbed the sugary blobs onto a stick and held it out above the fire, quickly joined by the rest of the group. After all, what was camping without smores.

Meanwhile, Forest ranger Devin Austin pulled her pickup into the driveway of the little cabin across the lake and tromped up the short steps to the front door, with the white husky trotting up behind her. She stepped in and tossed her truck keys on the small coffee table in front of the ash filled fireplace and plopped down on the couch. She sighed and ran her hands over her tired face before opening the file she had thrown down on the table. Reading through the memos and letters from the parents of young Rebecca Jamison, thanking the Ranger's in their failed attempt at catching the kidnappers while they were still in the area patroled by their office, Devin looked down at the the dog laying its head in her lap.

"We need a vacation huh?" she said to the canine and patted him on the head and walked out onto the small porch and sat down in a wicker chair and stared out across the lake.

"You can't beat this view though."

Across the lake she could make out the tiny spark of the campfire at the campsite she had visited earlier that morning. Immediately when she stepped out of her truck, she had felt an air of control from the group of people there. She often worried about the people that came up to her patrol area to camp, but she didn't feel she had to worry about this group. In fact, she felt an immediate trust with them, which was very rare for her.

"Bet they're roasting marshmellows and telling ghost stories." she said to the dog and kicked off her boots.

"What is that particular group doing out here anyways? A Colonel, a doctor and a linguist go camping. It sounds like a bad joke."

She thought about the people she had met a little while longer before turning in for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Through the thick pines, on the top of a steep cliff, a tall grimy man stared through a pair of binoculars at the camp below.

"Looks like that Rangers packed it in for the night." he said to his companions.

"Good, we might actually get some sleep tonight." another answered in a gruff voice.

"Yeah. There's a fire burning on the other side of the lake. Think theres some new campers."

"What?"

A large scruffy man stormed up next to the first, and grabbed the binoculars from his hand. He followed the shoreline of the lake until he could see the glow of a fire and he could make out a group of people sitting around it.

"What do ya thing Carl? Are they cops?"

Carl squinted through the binoculars and focused as much as he could on each person sitting around the fire.

"Nah, not cops."

"How do you know?"

"What kinda cop bring a kid out in the woods to catch kidnappers. Use your head John."

He threw the binoculars back at the smaller man and returned to his spot on the ground, where he had sat, carving away at a thick tree branch with a large smooth knife. Across from him sat Tommy, the youngest of the group. Tommy was a painfully quiet man, with childish blue eyes and the dimples in his cheeks to match. He didn't speak much, but he did what he was told, without questions, which made him the perfect sidekick for Carl. John, however, was the complete opposite. He was a very nerveous and verbal man. In the three days they had been hiding out here in the woods, John had loudly vocalized his fear of being caught, or eaten by a bear on numerous occasions. Carl kept him around for only one reason. The man was easily manipulated and would do anything he said, as he found the other two men much more intimidating then any bear. That fact that John was Carl's cousin was only a minor convienience.

"We need to move again?" Carl said while lighting a cigerette between his lips.

"What? Why?"

"That Ranger is gettin close again. A couple more days and she'll be right on top of us."

"So we take care of her for good when she gets here."

"Ha, and whose gonna shoot her Johnny boy? you?"

"Well, no. I thought that you would."

"Hear that Tommy. He wants me to off that pretty ranger."

Tommy cracked a grin at his boss.

"Listen John, I got no problems shootin a ranger, but you know that pesty little radio thing. If she doesn't make a call on that radio once every so often, this place will be crawlin with cops in an hour."

"Alright, I see your point. But what are we gonna do about food? We can't carry all of this junk any higher."

John kicked at an ice chest and motioned to the rest of their supplies strewn around the small camp.

"We'll carry the ice chest, and burry the rest. We've got guns you idiot. We'll kill some animal when we get hungry. Did you think we were gonna live off of potato chips and peanut butter forever?"

"What about the girl?"

"What about her?"

"She's not the best hiker in the world Carl."

"She weighs sixty pounds John. I think you could carry her."

"What about the ice chest?"

Carl groaned and Tommy cracked another grin.

"How many guys does it take to carry an ice chest?"

"Depends on how heavy it is."

"Estimate. Two at the most right. How many guys do we have John?"

John pouted and lifted his binoculars toward the camp again.

"Wish we could make a fire." he said to himself watching at the group laughed around the fire, happliy eating their smores.

Close to an hour later, the three men collected the ice chest and small girl and began their hike to a higher position. They had decided it would be much better for them to move by night, so they could avoid running into other people. Escpecially the kind in uniforms. Traveling at night was dangerous, and all three men knew it. Carl had a gun holstered at the front of his pants, for quick easy access, should the come across a nocturnal hunter. They had heard the howling of wolf packs during the nights they had been in the woods, but had yet to see one of them. John silently prayed that would stay the same, as he walked, holding the crying girl by the hand and pulling her along with the fast pace.

Jack was the first to awaken the next morning, rolling over and pushing away his sleeping bag. It had gotten unexpectedly cool during the night. As he sat up now, he pulled on his boots and wool cap and looked at Daniel, who had managed to burrow his way deep into his sleeping bag, so the only visible part of him was a small poof of hair that poked out the top. Jack crawled out of the tent and began stoking up another fire and making some coffee. Shortly after Sam emerged from the larger tent that she shared with Janet and Cassandra. She pulled her sweatshirt tighter around herself and walked lazily up next to Jack and sat down in a canvas chair and pulled her feet up under her.

"Coffee?" he offered, handing her a cup.

"Thanks," she croaked, wrapping her cold hands around the warm cup and inhaling the scent of the fresh grounds.

"Granola bar, cinnamon roll, or oatmeal for breakfast?"

"I'll grab a granola bar a little later sir. I'm good with coffee for now thanks."

Jack looked up at the Major and grinned at the morning appearance of the woman. It wasn't often he got to see her totally relaxed, especially after a full nights sleep. Usually when he saw her in the morning, she was waking up for her watch, or only a few hours later, after a very light sleep, in full gear, minus her P90. Now she sat curled up in a chair wearing Air Force sweats and hiking boots with her hair spiking up in every direction possible. He grinned at her, not going unnoticed by the Major.

"What?" she grinned back.

"Nice hair."

She ran her hand through the mess on her head and blushed.

"Yours isn't much better sir."

He reached up and ran his hand over his own hair, trying to smooth it down. At that moment Janet stepped out of the tent and stumbled over to the pair. Both Sam and Jack stared wide eyed at the doctor and then shared a laugh. Jack, nor Sam's hair were competition for worst pillow hair compared to that of Janet Fraiser. Apparently the small doctor was not a morning person. She reached her hand out to Jack and grunted more then asked for a cup of coffee. He dared not to keep her waiting and handed her a steaming cup.

"Rough night doc?" he asked.

"Urg." she answered and curled up in front of the fire.

"Do you want breakfast?"

"Sure."

"Granola, cinnamon roll, or oatmeal?"

"Surprise me."

Jack smirked and handed the doctor a granola bar. She took it and tucked it into her pocket and brought her coffee up to her mouth and sipped it slowly.

"Did you have plans for the day today sir?"

"Not particularly. What do ya think of a hike. Maybe Cass will get to some of those animals she's always talking about."

"I think thats a great idea."

Nearly and hour later the whole group was up and dressed into their hiking apparel and packing up their packs for a days worth of hiking. Cassie ran around happily staying on everyone to hurry so they could get going. Just before leaving, Jack made one last pass over the campsite, making sure anything valueable was put into the Tahoe and then locked the vehicle before they set out.


	5. Chapter 5

The tall thick pines cast jagged shadows on the ground below their feet as they hiked further and further from their camp. Jack led them in the direction of a tall outcrop of rocks, that marked the entrance to a long deep canyon that he had found on the map. Cassandra walked happily next to Daniel, listening to him as he told her about the historic indian tribes that used to live there, and the importance of the drawings he had pointed out to her on a large rock, ealier in their hike.

"This is nice Sam, thanks for inviting us." Janet said as the two women lagged behind a few feet.

"Thanks for coming. It wouldn't be nearly as fun without you guys. I love hangin out with the guys and all, but camping with them is too much like being on a mission. At least with you and Cass here, it really is vacation."

"She's having a great time. I'm going to be hearing camp stories for the next month."

"Well, at least she'll have something to talk about when she gets back to school."

"I don't think I have ever seen him so at ease." Janet nodded towards Jack, who had stopped and was showing Cassie something on a tree trunk.

"I know. He's really in his element out here. Can you believe that he really does smile." she laughed.

"Not to mention, he looks really good in his civs." Janet teased raising an eyebrow at her blushing friend.

Sam had definately noticed. When she had come out of the tent that morning he had been sitting in front of the new fire, wearing jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. But now he wore a red and black flanel shirt that he let hang open over a plain white Tshirt. The one day stubble over his face gave him a rugged look that Sam had noticed right away. The stress lines that normally covered his face were gone, and he smiled easily.

"This trip was definately one of his better ideas."

"Mom you gotta see this!" Cassie called, waving her mother over to her.

Janet stopped in front of the tree that Jack had been pointing at.

"What are we looking at."

"See the claw marks. A bear did that!"

Janet's eyes went wide. She knew that this was bear country, she just had thought the would really see any sign of them.

"Wow. Cool."

"Get a picture mom!"

Janet smiled at the girl and dug into her backpack for her camera. She snapped a shot of the tree, then one of Cassie and Daniel standing next to the tree smiling brightly. They stopped for a bit, sitting down on some rocks and making sure they all drank some water while they rested. Janet snapped a few more pictures, one of Cassie looking down at a footprint she had spotted under the tree, one of Daniel smiling at her and pointing to his granola bar, and then had Daniel take one of her and Sam.

They walked further into the canyon, staring up at the rock cliffs on either side of them. The sound from a small stream in a windy course through the trees a few feet below them, mixed with the light breeze in the trees, and the singing of birds produced a peaceful ambience, that lulled them into the most relaxed state they had been in for a very long time. A light shuffling sound a few feet to their left had them on instant alert. Jack stepped in front of Cassandra protectively as the shuffling got closer. A flash of white through the trees had Jack reaching for his concealed sidearm, until the creature stopped in front of them.

The large white dog stopped a few feet in front of the group and let out one bark before sitting down and staring at them cheerfully. Jack let out a relieved breath and left is gun in its place as Cassie smiled at the dog.

"Stupid dog about gave me a heart attack." Daniel sighed.

"Its Koda." Cassie pointed out and patted her leg for the dog to come.

The dog trotted over to the kneeling girl and licked her face and hands.

"Where's the your friend?" Jack said to the dog, scanning the area for the Ranger.

The dog barked at Jack, as if answering him, then focused back on the girl. Jack passed a glance at Sam. She nodded and slid off her pack, reaching into the front pocket and pulling out her cell phone. The phone had one signal bar, and Sam hoped it would last through a phone call. She pulled the business card that the ranger had written her number on, from her bag and dialed in the number. The ring echoed back into Sam's ear a few times before Jack shushed Cassandra. Very quiet and in the distance, he could make out the electrical ringing of a phone. He slowly walked in the direction of the ringing, with the group following him, ears sharp. The ringing stopped, and Sam looked down at her cell. She had lost signal.

Through the trees a few yards ahead of them, Jack spotted something shiney and white. As he jogged closer, it grew larger until he could make out the hood of the Ranger's pickup. Laying on the hood was an old pack and a few metal hooks and anchors that Jack immediately recognized. He looked over at Sam, who was already looking up at the cliff wall to their left. Jack squinted and pulled a pair of binoculars from his pack, then scanned the wall. Halfway down the rock face, he spotted the woman, quickly repelling toward the ground. He let out another relieved sigh, and handed the binoculars to Cassie, who was eager to find out why everyone was so tense.

"Whoa, thats cool." she said smiling. "I want to do that!"

The team took up resting positions near the pickup and waited for the ranger to return. A few minutes later, light footsteps sounded behind them, and the dog trotted away happily.

"Hi there." Jack said as the Ranger walked past him.

"Shi...oot" she exclaimed as they caught her by surprise. Changing her word, remembering their was a child with this group.

"You scared me."

"Sorry."

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked looking around the group and tossing her rope and harness onto the hood of the truck.

"We found your dog, and got kinda worried." Daniel answered, picking up a rope that slid off the side of the hood and handing it to her.

"Ah, sorry about that. You were supposed to stay by the truck." she said to the dog, who tilted his head in response.

"Oh, he wasn't too far away. I think he heard us coming."

"Rock climbing part of the job?" Jack asked looking up at the cliff.

"That particular rock, yes." She grinned.

"Why?" Cassie asked, walking up next to the ranger.

"We're observing a bald eagle nest."

"Really? Are there babies in it?" Cassie asked excited.

"Not yet. There's some eggs though."

Devin pulled a clipboard from the truck and wrote a few notes before throwing it back on the seat and turning to the girl.

"Do you like animals?"

"I love animals!"

"Seen any yet?"

"Just Koda. But we saw a tree, where a bear sharpened his claws."

Janet gulped at the phrasing. A bear's massive claws could do enough damage, why would they need to be sharp too? Devin grinned at the girl, then looked around the small group, then focused through her glasses at Janet.

"I'm headed up to find some orphaned lion cubs here in a minute. If you don't mind interrupting your hike, you're welcome to tag along?"

Janet's eyes went as wide as Cassandra's. Even Jack looked surprised at the offer.

"Really?" Janet asked.

"Please Jack, can we go!" Cassie begged, eyes pleading with the Colonel.

"Don't ask me, its up to your mom."

"Pleeeaase Mom"

"Uh," Janet studdered then looked around at her friends for some direction. "Of course." she answered.

Even Janet was somewhat excited at the idea of finding some mountain lion cubs, and she knew it could very well be the highlight of the trip for Cassandra.

"Great. Let me just move some stuff around." Devin answered and pulled a kacki backpack from the passenger seat, then opened up the back door and pulled out some more rock climbing equipment, before walking to the back of the truck and tossing it into the lock box in the bed of the truck. She whistled and nodded toward the bed of the truck, and Koda trotted over and hopped in, propping himself on agaist the side.

"Alrighty then, lets go." Jack said clapping his hands together and stepping up the truck.

He tapped Devin on the shoulder.

"Can she ride in the back?" he asked nodding toward Cassandra.

"Are you kidding, thats the best place for a curious kid." she smirked and for the first time he smiled back at her. This woman wasn't so bad.

He walked up to the girl and announced,

"I'm riding in the back with Koda, anyone want to join me?"

Cassie's jaw dropped and she looked to her mother. Janet dropped her jaw in a perfect imitation that turned to a smile. She knew the roads through the forest were rough, and that Devin would drive appropriately with her passengers in the back. A person only got to be a kid once, and Janet wanted to give Cassie the best childhood experiences, and a kid just couldn't be a kid without at least one trip through nature in the back of a pickup.

Cassie ran around to the back of the truck and climbed up over the tailgate, followed by Jack.

"Anyone else?" he asked, sitting with his back against the lockbox.

"I'll pass." Daniel answered and grinned at Cassandra.

"My butt hurts just thinking about it." Janet added.

Sam simply shook her head and climbed into the backseat, finding herself looking strait through a black metal and plexiglass barrier between seats. Janet had a similar experience as she climbed in on the other side.

"Cozy." Janet joked and reached for her seatbelt.

"Yeah sorry about that." Devin said and she secured her duty belt around her waist, havin taken it off before her rock climb.

"Nice..gun." Daniel commented, noting the semi automatic rifle secure between the two front seats.

"Its for looks mostly." she grinned and started the engine of the truck.

Meanwhile, a few miles North, Carl and his gang were settling down from their long hike. Rebecca Jamison's little legs had given out on her hours before, and John had quickly tired of carrying her. Having walked all night, Carl called it a day and they found a small indent in some rocks to set up for some sleep. John laid out an old sleeping bag for the girl, who fell asleep almost immediately after laying down on it. She had learned very quickly not to argue with anything these men told her to do. So she kept quiet and hoped that her father would find her.

"Is this as far as we gonna go boss?" John asked plopping down on the ground.

"This'll work for a while."

"Good, cause I'm tired a walkin."

"Shut up and go to sleep. I'll watch for Rangers."

Back in the truck, Daniel had begun his usual conversation with the Ranger.

"Do you do this kind of thing often?" he asked.

"What?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Pick up a bunch of campers and take them on a tour?"

"No, this is the first time."

"Really?" he looked back at the women behind the cage.

"Yeah, what can I say, I'm a sucker for curious kids."

"You made her day." Janet added

"I do what I can. I like to see people interested in nature, without wanting to kill it. Especially kids."

"Have any of your own?" Janet asked.

"Na, Koda is the extent of my family."

"He's a beautiful dog."

"Yeah, he's a good dog. Your friend is about to have a sore backside."

Jack swore as his tailbone connected with the metal truck bed for the second time since the Ranger had started up on a very steep rocky road. Even Koda had taken his feet off the side of the truck and stood shakily on the steel bed. Cassie laughed with every bump, her youth enabling her to ignore the ache it caused. He sighed as they pulled out onto a pullout off the path and the truck haulted. When the engine shut off and the two front doors opened, Jack stood and stretched out his back. Devin and Daniel opened the backdoors to release Janet and Sam from the cage.

"Hows the backside sir?" Sam grinned

"You can ride with her on the way back."

"That was so fun mom!" Cassie yelled, "Will you ride with me on the way back?"

"We'll see." she grimaced.

"Cool. This is where the lion cubs are?" She turned her attention to the Ranger, who had climbed into the back of the truck and was now digging into the lockbox.

"Uh, not exactly," she answered, "This is close to where we found the mother, the cubs should be nearby. We're gonna have to do a little bit of hiking."

"Oh its a nice day for hiking." Jack commented.

Devin tossed the group their backpacks and secured her own over her shoulder. She hopped over the side of the truck and cleared her radio mic, letting dispatch know she would be away from her vehicle for awhile and was on her portable.

"Alright, lets go."

The team followed Devin through the deep foliage and trees. She stepped carefully around some large poison oak bushes and pointed them out so nobody would step in it. Koda trotted happily in front of them until Devin slowed her walk and looked around.

She crouched and then waved Cassie over to her.

"See that?" she asked pointing at a shape in the sand in front of her.

"Yeah, its a footprint."

"Thats an adult lion footprint, but see those, those are the cubs."

Devin pointed and several smaller smudges a few feet away from the larger defined print.

"I found the mother just over there." she pointed.

"What happened to her?"

"Hunters I think."

"Thats sad. What if we can't find the babies?"

"Ah, don't worry about it. Koda there is really good at finding things."

As if on que, a distant barking sounded from their right. Devin stood and walked quickly in the direction of the dog's barks. Cassie jogged quickly behind her, with Janet and Sam directly behind her. Devin stopped when she saw the dog crouching in front of a low cut rock. Between the rock and the soil was a deep dark hole leading further back into the rock.

"Koda quiet."

"That didn't take long." Jack commented watching as Devin removed her backpack and crouched down in front of the small cave.

"Told you he was good at tracking. One of the reasons I keep him around." she joked and layed out flat on her stomach.

Devin pulled a small flashlight from her duty belt and grunted as she crept forward, her face disappearing into the tunnel.

"Cassandra right?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, stay right there okay, I'm gonna need you to help me in a minute. Sam?"

"Yeah?" she crouched down at Devin's waist.

"Hold this for me will ya."

Sam crouched down lower and stuck her hand in the tunnel and pointed the flashlight down into the dark hole. Devin pushed with her feet, tearing up the soil under her boots, and twisted to squeeze down further. With a hard push with her foot, the ground in front of her gave and the Ranger slid quickly into the hole, landing with a muffled "'oof".

"Oh, crap, are you alright?" Sam asked keeping the light trained on the bottom of the tunnel.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Throw my pack will ya."

Jack grabbed Devin's pack and lowered it down into the hole.

"Little steep for a lion to have kittens in isn't it?" he asked.

"It turns, I went the wrong way. Hang on."

They could hear some heavy shuffling, then a dirty, scraped up hand reached out to Sam.

"Flashlight."

Sam handed her the light and the hand disappeared. A few seconds later they heard a strange sound, then both of her hands came out with a small ball of fur clutched between them. Jack grabbed the small kitten from the outstretched hands and ignored its tiny hissing, and infant growling. Before he could figure out what to do with the animal, another one appeared in front of the tunnel. Jack handed the cub to Janet, and grabbed the next one and handed it to Cassie. Jack took one more kitten from the hands and then the Devin's hands reached out and clutched at soil as she crawled back out of the tunnel. She sat up and brushed the dirt and leaves off the front of her shirt.

Devin smiled down at Cassie who held the furry spotted kitten in her hands staring down at it with a smile. Janet held a similar expression looking down at the identical cub sitting quietly in her lap.

"Now I know why you love your job." Daniel said looking at the small animals.

"Yeah, not many people get to do stuff like this."

"What happens to them now?"

"They go to a surrogate family until they're old enough to release, or they go to a wildlife park somewhere."

Cassie sat with the kitten in her lap and stared at it quietly until it fell asleep. Janet handed the cub she'd had over to Sam and got out her camera. She flashed a couple pictures of Cassie posing with the cub. Then took a couple of Jack and Sam sitting on a rock with the other two kittens.

"Here, lemme see, get in there Janet." Devin said and took the camera from the doctor.

The whole group crouded together and smiled for a group photo. Devin snapped a few different shots then handed the camera back to Janet. Then she grabbed a water bottle from her pack and sat down on the dirt and wiped away at the dark mud that had stained on her arms along with some bloody scrapes along her elbow.

"You're bleeding." Jack pointed.

"Yeah, I kinda took a nose dive down a hole. She tucked them back there pretty good."

"How old do you think they are?"

"I'd say two or three weeks."

A few minutes later, Devin pulled a small animal carrier from the back of the truck and pulled a a coat from her pack and tucked it into the carrier. The three kittens were put into the carrier and she set it in the back of the truck and secured it with a strap.

"We need to head back." she said looking at her watch. "I need to drop these guys off with a transport officer."

"Right."

They loaded back up into the truck and, with Sam and Janet joining Cassandra in the back this time, and headed back down the bumpy road to their camp.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter was just a fun little something I wanted to add, because I think the team should get some rare fun and enjoyment before things go totally downhill..hint hint. So if you're wanting some action and some angst, it will be coming soon.


	6. Chapter 6

"I can't believe he left us here." John whined to Tommy.

Shortly after arriving at their new location, having realized they had run painfully low on water, Carl decided he needed to make a quick trip down the the local shop. He wasn't an expert on outdoors and hiking, but he knew that having lots of water was vital if they were going to be staying there awhile, and he could move much fast if he went alone. So he had packed up a few water bottles and double checked that Tommy had control before setting off to Ben's bait shop so stock up on water, and to make a phone call.

Carl walked into the small shop and winced at the sound of the brass bell. He tromped heavily across the wooden floor and asked Ben where he could make a phone call and where the restroom was. As Carl was making his call, a Ranger's jeep pulled up into the parking lot, and a large clean cut Ranger walked into the store.

"Hiya Ben, how ya doin?"

"Oh hey there J.D. I haven't seen you for ages. What brings you to these parts?"

"Devin's got a cage full of cats for me."

"Oh so she found them huh, thats good. That girl's got a nose for findin critters."

"She's got a nose for findin trouble is what she's got. Speak of the devil."

Devin pulled the truck up and parked it next to J.D's jeep and walked into the store. She smiled at Ben and grabbed a pack of chewing gum from the desk.

"I hear you've got some cats."

"Yeah, three of 'em. In good shape too."

"Looks like you had fun gettin to 'em" Ben laughed taking in the woman's dirty face and skinned up elbows.

"Yeah, mind if I wash up a bit?"

"Course not. Just sent a gentleman back there so make sure you knock before you go bargin in on him."

Devin grinned and waved over her shoulder as she walked away. She had worked this particular area so long that Ben had become one of the only familar people in her life. Tourists came and went. Ranger's went on to bigger better things, but she could always count on Ben's for a taste of normalcy and comfort. She stopped in front of the restroom and knocked on the door. Hearing no answer she walked in a shut it behind her.

Carl had seen the first Ranger vehicle pull up and finished his phone call with a hangup. When the second vehicle pulled in, he began to panic and had to force himself to take a few deep breaths and just lay low until they left. He took a few steps down the narrow hallway toward the main section of the store when the restroom door flew open and the small woman bumped into him.

Devin quickly washed her face in the porcelin sink and wiped at the scrapes with a wet towel before taking a quick look at herself in the mirror. She sighed and pushed the door open before walking out into the hallway, bumping into someone in the process.

"Oh sorry, excuse me." she said and looked up into the grizzly man's face.

The man chuckled and lifted his hands before motioning she walk out before him. The hair on the back of her neck instantly stood up when she saw him. As of yet she was unsure why, but there was just something about him that didn't sit right with her, and she had always been a great judge in character. She slowly walked back over to Ben and J.D, keeping the man in her peripheral vision as he wandered around the store.

"It's gettin late Devin, I gotta get home to Jen." JD whined.

"They're in the truck." she answered without looking at him.

J.D. shook his head before waving at Ben and leaving the store to retrieve the carrier full of kittens. Ben looked down at Devin, recognizing the look of total concentration.

"Where'd he come from?" she asked him quietly, setting another pack of gum on the counter.

"Walked up about ten minutes ago." he whispered back.

Carl stood at the back of the store, studying the photos of the hunters on the wall. He could feel the woman Ranger's eyes all over him and took some deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He took another look at the photo and smirked. He had found a cover story.

Finally he walked over to the refrigerators and emptied the rack of water bottles into a carrying basket then carried it up to the counter, coming to stand next to Devin.

"You did a number on your elbow there Ranger." he said cheerfully.

Devin faultered for a minute then answered.

"Yeah, I did a little cave exploring. Forget to bring water?"

"Yeah. I'm meetin up with my brother. Fool was supposed to bring it but he forgot so here I am."

"Doin some camping?"

"Oh you know little a this, little a that. Got my eyes set on some huntin though."

"Oh yeah, what are ya lookin for?" Ben asked with a smile.

"Hopefully some nice Elk."

"We've definately got 'em up here."

"You got a elk tag sir?" Devin asked eyes focused in on his.

"Course I do."

"Can I see it?" she challenged.

"Its in the truck, is there a problem ma'am?" Devin winced.

"Not yet, If I see ya with a rifle out there you be sure you have it on you." she ordered.

"Scouts honor." he grinned and raised his hand.

Devin nodded and forced a smile. Carl quickly paid for his water and area map he had picked up and walked back out onto the porch and took a seat on a splittery bench.

"Anything else I can do for ya Devin?" Ben asked pulling her stare away from the man sitting on the bench.

"Uh, no, thanks Ben."

"Hey, those wheels are turnin, I can see 'em in those baby blues, what's goin on?"

"Nothin, just got a weird vibe from that guy. Do me a favor and keep away from him alright."

Ben nodded and she kissed him on the cheek before walkin back out on the porch.

"Can I give you a lift somewhere?" she asked the man.

"Oh, no thanks Ma'am. I need the excercise." Carl answered patting his stomach.

"Alright, but watch yourself out there alright. Gonna be gettin dark soon."

"Its not far."

Devin nodded and climbed into the pickup. The unease she had felt around the man remained, but she really couldn't do anything without having a reason. The most she could do was check a license, but without him being in possesion of a hunting rifle he didn't really need one to show her. She sighed and pulled the pickup out of the parking lot. She drove back towards the camping site of her new friends she had made during the day. When she had dropped them off, they had invited her to come back for dinner. At first she had thanked them and refused, but now she decided she wasn't in the mood to sit alone and stare at the lake like she did every other night.

Devin pulled the truck up to the camp and was met by welcoming smiles. Cassie ran over to her with a smile and immediately started asking her questions.

"Did they take the lions?"

"Yeah, they'll be fine. They're in good hands."

"They were so cute!"

Devin smiled and followed the girl over to the rest of the group.

"Change your mind?" Jack asked as Janet pushed a chair in her direction.

"Yeah, if the offer still stands."

"Course, take your pick," he said pushing a box of MREs in her direction.

"So, what happens next, smores and ghost stories?" she joked.

"We ate all the smore stuff last night." Cassie confessed.

Carl walked down the side of the dirt road, leading up to the lake as the sun slowly went down. As he tired of walking, he became more and more angry with the situation. His pack was heavy with water and his stressed mind was getting desperate for rest. Suddenly he remembered the people camping on the lake that he had seen through the binoculars the previous night. Their camp was only a mile or so from his current location. Perhaps he could stop by and play the friendly neighbor, possibly get himself invited for a meal.

As he approached the camp a while later, he crept up quietly to observe the scene. On arrival, he immediately noticed the Ranger pickup parked next to the black Tahoe, and turned to leave. A flash of white and a loud bark assaulted him from his right and he froze.

Devin shot up from her chair and searched the darkness where the dog had just run. Knowing his position had been given away, Carl thought quickly and put on his innocent friendly face and raised his hands.

"Hello?" he called toward the camp. "Can you call your dog off?"

"Who is that?" Jack called back to him

"My name is Carl. My brother and I set up camp a little ways from here. I saw your fire and thought I'd, ya know, meet the neighbors."

As the man came closer to the light of the fire, Devin recognized him, and again the hair on her neck stood again. She flashed a quick look around the group and landed on Jack, who met her eyes with a confused look. She had taken her duty belt and uniform shirt off for comfort, before stopping at the camp and hour earlier. Now she wished she had left it on. Something about his man was not right.

"Oh hi again Ranger. You sure make your rounds." he smiled at her, with a crooked smile.

"Yes sir. Thats my job."

"Of course. Boy whatever you've got cookin over there sure smells good."

Jack watched the interaction between Devin and the stranger, and he could practically cut through the tension in the air. The woman that they had spent the day with had cracked jokes and smiled, a light and friendly tone to her voice. Now she stood in front of him, straight as a bored with a very steady and flat tone, and she definately wasn't joking. Carl watched the Ranger closely and decided he wasn't in a position to play with fire.

"Anyhoo, I just wanted to say hi, but ya'll look like you're havin a good time. I don't wanna interrupt anything. Maybe I'll see you around."

"Yeah, maybe." Jack nodded.

Carl turned to walk away, shuddering at the feeling of six pairs of eyes drilling into his back as he did so. No this was not a smart move. He needed to get away from here and re-evaluate what he was doing. He needed a plan. He knew the Ranger was trouble, but he got a similar feeling from this particular group of tourists also. One little Ranger he could handle, but the two men at the camp in particular, he just wasn't willing to toy with just yet. A thought struck in his mind as he walked away from the camp. If the ranger was here, there was nobody at the cabin. It would be a perfect place to stock up on supplies. He would have to move fast.

"Friend of yours?" Jack asked once the man had disappeared into the dark.

"Hardly. Somethin off about him." Devin answered.

"Yeah, I got that."

"Its probably nothing. Just keep an eye on him if he comes back ok."

They had their meals around the fire, and stayed engaged in friendly conversation. Devin told them a little about herself, how she had grown up in a tiny town in Wyoming with her father, who passed away when she was sixteen. Then she had gone to live with her aunt in the city, where she decided she didn't like people so much and made it a goal to stay as far away from them as possible, resulting in her current job and location. The team shared a little bit about themselves, the parts they were allowed to anyways. Even Cassie told some stories about her friends at school, and her dog at home. Devin found herself intrigued with these people. All of them high ranking Air Force officers. It had been a very long time since she had connected with people. She would almost go as far as to call these people her friends now.

"You guys are somethin you know that." she smiled.

"Nah, we're just people." Jack answered.

"No. I've spent time with 'just people'. You guys are good people. I don't see many of you out here."

Sam and Daniel shared a blush at the compliment. Cassandra grinned at the Ranger in understanding. SG1 were an amazing group of people, and they had a bond that no one would ever break.

"Do you ever get to Colorado Springs?" Cassie blurted out.

"Not really. I don't really leave here very often."

"Well, when you do decide to go on vacation, you should come to Colorado Springs and visit us."

"Oh, uh, I, well...We'll see." she stammered.

Devin looked down at her watch and winced at how late it had gotten while she was visiting. Koda had curled up at Cassandra's side as she layed in front of the fire and shared in the conversation. She had begun yawning frequently and Devin decided it was time to go.

"Well I better get goin." she stood from the chair, followed by the adults. "Thanks so much for dinner. Tell ya what, breakfast at the cabin. No MREs. I'll make you guys some real breakfast, as a thanks for the help with the lions today."

"Sounds great." Janet answered for them.

"Great, just come on by whenever you get up and around. I have the day off so I'll be there all day. Come on Koda."

The dog lifted his head from his spot and looked at her. Then lowered his head back down.

"Fine stay here." she teased. The dog had every intent on doing so.

"He can stay." Cassie said with a smile.

"We can bring him in the morning." Janet corrected.

"Oh. ok. sure."

Devin pulled the pickup to a stop in front of the cabin and hopped out. It felt strange not having the dog up at her side. She felt slightly abandoned and hurt that the dog had traded her in for the young girl. She pushed it aside, knowing that Koda would be returned to her in the morning. She took the small steps up the porch to the front door and walked into the small living room. She tossed her duty belt onto the couch and turned into the kitchen for a glass of water. She filled her glass from the tap and let the water run in the sink over the dirty dishes. She looked up into the window above the sink and watched with tire fasination as the steam rose off the dishes and clung to the cold glass. She jumped at what looked like something moving in the reflection. She turned quickly and her eyes raced over the living room. She sighed at herself for being jumpy and walked down the narrow hall to the restroom.

In the restroom she opened up the medicine cabinet and grabbed a bottle of asprin, palming two then closing the lid and replacing it. She carried the pills back to the kitchen for her glass of water, before popping them in her mouth. Leaving the hot water running in the sink, she opened the refrigerator and bent down to look inside. She was sure she had breakfast supplies, but not much of anything else. She settled for a bottle of orange juice and closed the fridge. The dark figure standing in the place of the refrigerator door when she shut it, caught her by surprise and she dropped the bottle with a gasp.

Carl had been going through a stack of maps in the office of the cabin when the headlights of the pickup truck sailed across the walls. He had ducked and hid in a dark corner, but after hearing the footsteps of the Ranger wandering all over the house, he knew that he would be found shortly. Tired and angry, he was desperate for more power then he had at the moment. Then a thought struck him. He could use the Ranger. She knew more about the area, and how to get around it then anyone. She had equipment to climb, and a radio to listen to the rangers that would be hunting him. So he stuck quietly from the office and kept to the dark corners until he heard her light footsteps in the kitchen, and the refrigerator door open.

The total surprise of the appearance of the man standing over her had Devin stumbling back into the counter behind her. Her gut twisted and her heart rate went through the roof. She forced herself to get her breathing under control and focus.

"Evenin Ranger." he said with a raspy dark tone.

"You scared me," she confessed, "I didn't hear you come in. Somethin I can do for you?"

Devin played dumb, hoping he would buy it. The cabin was a field office where campers could come for help, but she knew this man wasn't here for simple directions. Her hand smoothed over the counter top, looking for anything she could defend herself with, but all she could find was a fork from that mornings breakfast.

"Actually yes I do need your help. See my friends and I need a place to hole up for a few days, and we need you to find us one."

"I thought you were hunting with your brother?"

"Aw, come on Ranger. You and I both know thats not true."

"What makes you think I'll help you?" She wrapped her hand tightly around the fork handle.

"Cause there is a cute little girl who may not fair so well if you don't."

Rage boiled from somewhere deep in her chest as she pictured Rebecca Jamison, tired and scared, being hauled through the forest by the dark man in front of her. She had doubted these men where still in her patrol area, and now she was angry with herself for not finding them. The man took a deadly step toward her, and she used the counter to push herself sideways, out of his path and spun around swinging the fork. Her fist connected the mans back as the fork prongs sunk in. He yelled, a mixture of pain and anger, and swung his elbow up, connecting solidly with her chin. Devin's teeth knocked together from the impact and again when she hit the floor on her back. She lay there shocked for a moment staring at the man in front of her.

Carl reached around behind him and grabbed the handle of the fork, and pulled it roughly from his back with a grunt. He turned to the woman on the floor and growled. He stepped over her, grabbed her by her shirt collar and pulled her up into a standing position. She surprised him again with a swift knee to the groin. Carl's hands released her collar and she slipped in the orange juice as she tried to run to the living room where she had tossed down her duty belt. Just as she reached the living room, Carl rammed into her from the side, sending her sprawling into a bookshelf. The shelf tipped and spilled its contents, and Carl slipped around on some loose papers as he tried to get a hold on her. Devin kicked out at his hands, crawling backwards away from him, totally unaware of the open gash to her elbow, bleeding everywhere, causing the wood floors to be slick and hard to move on. With one smooth kick that connected with his face, he pulled back and she managed to stand. She ran for the couch containing her sidearm, and reached for the weapon. She came up short as Carl ran into her again, lifting her off the floor and bringing her down hard into an end table. The table buckled under their weight and the lamp that had sat on it shattered with a spark.

Devin's vision was begining to cloud, but she willed herself to stay awake, knowing the second she lost it, it was over for her. She swung her fist out wildly in the direction of her attacker. He blocked it easily and returned it with a solid strike to her left cheek. Her vision exploded into white light and she stilled, dazed and stared up at Carl. His face was bleeding from a large gash to his head, and his hands were covered with blood, from his back or her arm, she wasn't sure. She took a deep breath and brought both of her hands down, clutching a piece of glass from the lamp, and caught him in the side. He screamed and rolled off of her clutching at the wound. She rolled onto her hands and knees, and crawled for the belt. Just as she had the leather in her hand, his foot swung out, catching her solidly in the ribcage, and she rolled, losing her grip on the belt. Carl watched her carefully as he picked up the belt and pulled the gun from its holster.

"Is this what you want?" he croaked.

Devin blinked against the edges of her vision that had been threatening to move in on her. Carl tucked the gun into the waistline of his pants and grabbed her by the collar again, pulling her up into a sitting position. He moved his face down close to hers and she gagged at the stench of his breath as he spoke.

"Game over Ranger. Now you become hostage number two."

She glared at him, and as one last act of retaliation, spit the blood that filled her mouth into his face, spattering it with red flecks. He closed his eyes, shook his head then grinned. She glared again, and braced herself. The strike came quick as Carl brought his hand up and connect his balled fist to her left temple, causing her already concussed brain to shut down. Carl groaned as he held the limp woman up by her shirt collar. He looked her over quickly before leaning her against the couch and releasing her. He stood and removed the handcuffs from the pouch on the belt and quickly cuffed her hands together around the leg of the couch. He didn't doubt the woman would wake anytime soon, but he had really underestimated the fight in the much smaller woman. He walked into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, knocking all of its contents to the floor and going to to work on cleaning his cuts.


	7. Chapter 7

The cheerful tweeting of birds announced it was morning, and Jack crawled from the tent and stretched. He scanned the beautiful scene around him and felt a welcome feeling of peace wash over him. He even smiled as the big white dog bounded out of the tent shared by the three women and jumped up on him. He scratched the dog behind the ears and then plopped down in a chair and got a fire going for morning coffee. While he waited for the coffee to brew, he picked up the thick book that Daniel had discarded before turning in for the night. He flipped through the pages and seeing that there were no pictures or words he understood, he quickly tossed it back down.

Cassie was the next to emerge from the tent, already dressed and ready to go. The girl had been having a wonderful time in the forest, and had decided she didn't want to waste time sleeping when there was so many adventures to be had. She had also decided shortly after, that no one else should be wasting time either. She had all ready shaken her mother and Sam awake, and now she ran over to Jack and Daniel's tent and smacked her hands against the side, running around it and yelling for Daniel to wake up. She squealed as a pair of arms shot out and grabbed her as she ran by and pulled her in. Janet came stumbling out, almost falling over in the process.

"I'm up, I'm up." she croaked. "We've got to have a talk about this."

Jack chuckled and handed the doctor a cup of coffee. She curled up into a tiny ball in a chair and quickly fell back asleep, holding her cup. Sam emerged soon after, also dressed and ready to go, and helped herself to a cup.

"Whats up with her?" he asked her, pointing at the snoozing doctor.

"I don't think she slept well." Sam answered. "She was having weird dreams or something."

"Wonderful." he replied picturing what the day would be like with a tired and cranky Doctor Fraiser.

Cassie came running out of the tent, away from Daniel and Koda jumped up and chased after her barking with excitement. Janet jerked awake and swore as she spilled hot coffee in her lap. She stood and wiped at the coffee, swearing again before looking at the group staring back at her.

"Oh shut up." she said flatly and climbed back into the tent.

Jack and Sam shared a laugh and went about drinking their coffee. Shortly after, Daniel came out, looking fresh and ready. While waiting for Janet to decided if she was going to get ready to go herself, Sam and Jack took Cassie for a short walk to pick up some souveniers that she could take home with her. They helped her collect some neat rocks and some leaves, and they took some photos of them in front of the lake, and under some pretty trees. Finally Janet emerged from the tent, having finished her coffee and gotten dressed, and taking a seat next to Daniel.

"Where'd they go?" she asked, wondering why it had gotten so quiet.

"Took Cassie for a little walk. Rough night?"

"Weird dreams. Had a dream about that little girl that Devin asked us about the first day we were here."

"Maternal instinct perhaps?"

"Probably."

The trio, plus dog, came trotting back up to the camp where Cassie threw herself into her mother's lap.

"You're awake, finally!" she exagerated.

"Cass, its only 7, I can hardly say I slept in."

"We were invited to breakfast remember?"

"Yes, and I vividly remember her saying come over whenever we wanted, and no hurry."

Janet grabbed the girl and hung her over her legs and tickled her, causing the girl to laugh, and scream and try to escape, until Janet could no longer hold on to her. The girl was getting too big to do that sort of thing to.

"How bout now? Can we go now?" she asked looking around the group.

"Sure lets go. We're walking though, you need to release some of that energy." Janet laughed at the girl who was dancing around with the dog.

Twenty minutes later, the team stepped up into the driveway of the old log cabin.

"Wow, can't say that I blame her wanting to stay out here. Its beautiful." Sam commented.

Koda trotted happily up to the big truck parked in the driveway and sniffed around the ground, while the group walked up the steps and knocked on the door. Jack looked back at Sam and Daniel, and furrowed his eyebrows when no one answered. He knocked again and waited again. Koda sniffed along the ground up to the porch and stopped at the door. His ears stodd straight up as well as the hair down his back. Jack watched the dog, and began to feel a bit uneasy himself. He knocked on the door again.

"Devin! Its Jack." he yelled through the door.

"Maybe she's still sleeping." Janet commented.

"I don't think so." Jack walked around the corner of the building and stood on his tiptoes to peek through the kitchen window. He could make out a sink full of dirty dishes.

"Janet, whats the first thing you would do after inviting someone to breakfast?" he asked as he rejoined the group.

"Clean my house."

"Particularly do the dishes right?"

"Right."

"Then why is there a sink full of dirty dishes."

"Maybe she doens't entertain much." Daniel pointed out.

Jack thought for a second before looking down at the dog, who stared at the door ears perked and head tilted. He took a breath and tried the doorknob. Slowly the knob turned and the door opened. Koda pushed through the crack in the door and Jack listened as the dogs toenails tapped against the wood floor as he ran around the house. Sam shared the uneasy feeling with her CO, and slowly pulled the sidearm from its holster at her back. Janet's eyes went wide as she revealed the gun she didn't realized she had, and Jack nodded. He reached down and pulled out a similar weapon and nodded at Daniel to back up. Daniel and Janet stepped down the steps and Janet held Cassandra close beside her as Jack peeked into the open door.

As Jack crept into the house with Sam at his back, he noted the spilled orange juice and bloody fork laying on the floor of the kitchen. He took in the thrashed living room, and his heart sank as he saw all the blood. Blood smeared the walls, spotted the couch, and puddled on the floor underneath an overturned bookshelf. He noted the broken glass and pieces of the table, and followed the blood until his site landed on a pair of black boots. Sam saw it too, and hurried over to the fallen Ranger as Jack kept his guard.

"Oh god," Sam whispered as the Ranger came into clear view.

Her face was beyond pale against the bright red of the blood that had finally clotted in a five inch gash along her elbow. A dark bruise circled around a smaller cut to her head, and Sam could hear the labored breathing coming from the woman.

"She's alive sir, but she needs help." she whispered and Jack nodded.

Sam stood, raised her gun again, and returned to the Colonel's side. They had to make sure that whoever had done this was not still in the house. They peeked into the bathroom, noting the items strewn over the floor, and blood on the mirror and counter. Then they moved on to the bedroom in the back. The large bed was unmade and had light blood stains on the light colored sheets, giving Jack the impression that whoever had done this, was also injured, and had stayed the night. They quickly finished a search of the bedroom, then entered the office. Papers and maps were strewn everywhere. A radio charger sat empty on the desk, next to the shattered phone. Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. No signal. He winced and the exited the room. Deciding the house was empty, they came back over to Devin and Jack lifted the edge of the couch, while Sam pulled the handcuffs free.

"I'll get Janet." she said and jogged across the house and out the front door.

Jack crouched next to the Ranger trying to wake her when he heard it.

"Sam!" Daniel yelled, quickly followed by a loud gunshot, a thump, and a scream from Cassandra.


	8. Chapter 8

Jack jumped up and sprinted to the door. He slid to a stop and peeked around the doorframe. Sam sat crouched down with her back agaist the solid railing of the porch, eyes wide and teeth clenched.

"Sam, " he whispered, "You okay"

She nodded and looked down at the blood quickly covering her shoulder. He peeked around a little further and spotted the grizzly man that had stopped by their camp the previous night. He had his arm wrapped tightly around Janet's shoulder's and a slick pistol pressed firmly against her head. Daniel stod a few feet ahead of him with Cassie pulled close behind his back.

"Jack is it?" the man yelled toward the house. "Come on out here so we can talk!"

"Let her go!" he yelled back.

"Not gonna happen, you come out her and we'll talk."

Jack sighed and took a look at Sam. She stared back at him with wide blue eyes. He nodded at her and raised his gun on Carl, as he stepped out of the door.

"Well hi there Jack!"

"You see me, now let her go."

"How does that work out for me Jack. I need your help ya see. I need to hide, the Ranger has to get me there, and now that you're here I'll take all the help I can get."

Meanwhile, Tommy layed out across a rock and stared at the scene through binoculars. He had grown tired of waiting for Carl to return and decided to have a look at what the pretty Ranger was up to. Having seen the group of people pull out guns, while standing on the porch, Tommy had retrieved his high power rifle and traded the binoculars for the scope. Now he watched, heart pounding as his friend was faced with more then he could handle. He aimed the rifle at the porch directly in front of the armed man and pulled off a warning shot.

Jack fell backwards as the wooden steps in front of him exploded into splinters, followed by the echo of a gunshot. His eyes went wide and Carter mouthed to him the word 'sniper'.

"See that Jack. I do have the upper hand here. Next one doesn't miss."

"Alright!" Jack yelled and tossed his pistol over the side of the railing and raised his hands above his head.

"And the woman's!"

"What?"

"I know I didn't get her Jack. We surprised each other, I barely got the shot off."

Jack looked down to Sam, who let out a breath and tossed the gun over the railing. Janet let out the breath she had been holding. She had heard the shot and watched Sam go down and immediately feared the worst. Sam raised up her uninjured arm and stood.

"Well hey, look I did get her!" Carl snorted and Janet tugged at his hand and kicked out her feet.

"Hey settle down now!" he said quietly in her ear. "You give me trouble and I'll shoot the kid."

Janet froze, and her heart skipped a beat. She had forgotten that Cassandra was there, tucked protectively behind Daniel.

"Come on down here guys." he directed. Jack nodded for Sam to do what she was told, and he followed her down the steps.

Once they were all together, standing in front of the pickup, Carl pulled Janet back to the back of the truck and called for Jack to follow him.

"Climb up and get me that duct tape will ya Jack." he directed.

Jack glared at him as he climbed into the bed of the truck and picked up the roll of tape. He hopped down and offered it out to Carl.

"Nice try. Tape 'em up good."

Jack reluctantly approached his friends and wrapped each of their wrists in front of them by direction, and forced a smile to Cassie as he taped up hers.

"It'll be ok." he whispered to her. She nodded.

Once the majority of the group was secured, Carl smiled and looked up to where he knew Tommy was watching and waved at the man to head down. He knew as long as he had one hostage, he was in control, but the minute he started to tire from hiking, he wouldn't be able to maintain it without help.

"Now what?" Jack asked pulling him from his thoughts.

"Now we sit tight for a little while."

Jack rolled his eyes and looked up to the sky. Why did this sort of thing always happen to him? Janet's eyes stayed on her daughter. The girls face was flushed with fear, but she was handling the situation quite well considering. Then she spotted Sam lowering herself onto her knees, face etched with pain.

"Let me look at Sam." Janet asked Carl.

"You can see her from here."

"No, I'm a doctor. Keep the gun on me or whatever, just let me take a look at her arm!"

Carl loosened his grip and nodded, letting her slip away from him and she jogged over to Sam. She quickly crouched down and gave her friend a sympathetic look.

"This complicates things Sam." she said probing at the wound.

"Tell me about it."

"What do I do?"

"Do whatever he tells you to. We're in no position to retaliate. Theres too many of us, and if he gets one shot off, he'll hit someone. Ow."

"What about Devin?"

"She's inside. She doesn't look so good."

Janet grabbed the roll of duct tape and wrapped it around Sam's arm to stop up the bleeding. Sam looked down at the makeshift bandage and grinned at her friend.

"Nice."

"Alright McGyver, got another project for ya. Jack grab that first aid kit out of the truck."

Jack did as he was told, taking careful note of the other items in the truck, particularly the rifle. He reached around under the seat and his hand made contact with a solid steel object. Wrapping his hand around it, he pulled it from under the seat and risked a quick grin. The black jagged edged Kbar knife felt very familiar and comfortable in his hand. He quickly tucked the knife into his boot and grabbed the first aid kit. He walked around and handed the bag to Janet.

Carl ushered Jack and Janet into the house, reminding the remaining hostages of the gun on the hill. Jack's heart skipped as they walked back into the living room to find it empty. His eyes fell to a boot print in blood, closely intersected by a dog print. He quickly stepped over them, smearing them away.

"Clean her up." Carl ordered leaning agaist the wall.

"Who?" Janet asked searching the room.

Carl jumped up and hurried over, growling when he didn't see the woman. He jumped at Jack and grabbed him by the neck, slamming him hard against the wall.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know." he gasped.

"He doesn't know!" Janet yelled.

"Thats fine, you wanna play games, I'll play." he growled and pushed Jack back toward the door.

Janet walked to the door, with Jack following her.

"Alright doc. You fix me up instead. Then we start walkin."

First Carl had Janet tape up Jack's wrists and then he sat down on the steps as she crouched in front of him. She started with the cut on his forehead and gently dabbed away the blood before placing a small butterfly bandage over it. He then surprised her by removing his shirt and turning his back to her. She grimaced at the deep jagged puctures in the middle of his back.

"She did a number on you." Janet said.

"Don't talk Doc, just clean it up and we'll be on our way."

While Janet cleaned and bandaged the rest of his injuries, Devin sat behind a tree a few yards away, with Koda sitting at her side. She had waken up to the wet tongue of the dog running over her face, and quickly realized she could move her hands. Though the cuffs were still latched tightly around her wrists she was no longer secured to the couch. She forced herself into a standing position and peeked over the couch. Through the open door she could see Jack taping up the hands of his friends. Devin quickly crept into the office, and swore when she saw the radio was no longer on the charger. Hearing the voices from outside get closer, she quickly pulled the window open and crawled through, landing roughly in a large bush. She winced as the dog followed her, nearly landing on her head. She pressed her back up against the wall of the house when she heard footsteps across the wood floor, followed by a loud crash and Carl yelling. Then the footsteps stormed out of the front door. She crept slowly around the corner of the house and came to a crouch where she sat now, watching Janet patch up her handiwork.

"Damn, this isn't good Koda." she whispered.

"Alright, lets go." Carl barked and motioned toward the treeline.

"Where are we goin?" Jack asked, glaring at the man with the gun.

"South. Lead the way hero." he smirked at Jack

After seeing Carl wave him down, Tommy ran back to the spot where he had left John and Rebecca. He strung his rifle over his shoulder and holstered his pistol before grabbing a backpack.

"Where are you going?" John shouted.

"Carl's bringing company."

"Cops?"

"No not cops. Just stay here with the girl."

"Nobody said anything about more hostages Tommy. This is nuts!"

"Just stay here."

Tommy let out a low growl as he ordered around his companion. Then he turned around and sprinted as fast as he could in the direction of the Ranger's cabin. He was in excellent physical shape, and found the jog refreshing rather then complicated. It would only take him about fifteen minutes to reach the cabin.

Jack walked slowly through the treeline and set a slow pace, leading his friends up into the thick forest. He had no idea where he was leading them, or what awaited them when they got there. All he knew is they were in trouble, and there was no quick solution to this problem without someone else getting hurt. Thinking about this he risked a look at Sam. Despite the bullet in her shoulder, she was keeping up without problem, and some of her color had returned to her. At least Devin had escaped. The woman knew these woods better then anyone, and would immediately get help. If things went as he imagined they would, the local police would be crawling over this area in an hour. Which would also complicated things as their captures got desperate and threatened.

A few minutes after Devin watched Carl escort the group through the trees and out of sight, she crept as carefully as she could to the truck. She pulled the door open and dug into its panel for her spare keys, quickly settling on the handcuff key, and undoing her restraints. She reached for the radio and switched it to a private channel before keying it up and speaking.

"J.D?" waited a few seconds.

"This is J.D." the voice came back over the radio.

"J.D, I need your help."

"Wait, Devin is asking for help?" he sounded amused.

"Get a hold of dispatch. Tell them I'm tracking Rebecca Jamison's kidnappers. They've got more hostages, and they're not playing nice."

"What? 10-9 that Devin."

"The kidnappers are still here. They've got more hostages, and they're armed and extremely dangerous. I'm going to follow them. Tell dispatch. You'll pick up our trail on the Southeast side of the cabin headed toward the Blackfoot."

"10-4. Devin be careful."

Devin dropped the radio and stomped on the button on the floorboard, realeasing the rifle from its lock. She opened the chamber, double checking it was loaded and had a full magezine before slinging it over her shoulder, wincing at the added weight to her already abused body. She took an extra minute to find a bottle of water, that she normally had rolling all over the floorboard of the truck, before she shuffled off in the direction she had watched the group led, and stayed as quiet as she could, knowing she wasn't far behind them. She could only hope that her aching body would allow her keep up with them, and not lose their trail.

Janet kept focused on her daughter and Sam while she hiked next to Daniel. The doctor in her watched for any faultering movements from her friend, while the mother in her was worried about her daughter. The girl had been through so much in her short life, and this was one that would be right at the top of the chart for worst days. It had taken nearly a year for the girl's nightmares of the destruction of her village, and deaths of everyone she knew to fade away. Many times, Janet had been jerked awake by the frightened, heart wrenching cries of the young girl in the next room. Now, Janet feared, they would have to deal with nightmares that would come from this event. She also knew that SG1 had faced off with far worse enemies then Carl, and had returned without a scratch. They wouldn't let anything happen to Cassie, or her for that matter.

"Hang on Koda. I gotta sit for a minute." Devin said, more to herself then to the dog.

She plopped down against a large tree and tried hard to catch her breath. Her lungs and ribs burned with every inhale, and screamed with every movement. Her mind was foggy and she was having a hard time focusing on the task. Koda had led the way clearly, his nose following the scent of the girl he grown fond of. She just had to find the strength to keep following him. She tipped her head back against the tree and closed her eyes for a second, jerking it up quickly as she caught herself drifting off. The gash in her arm burned as she pushed herself back up to a standing position and took a swig of water. She took another deep breath and pressed on.

"Are you okay Sam?" Cassie asked quietly as she walked next to Sam.

"I'll be fine Cass. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried. Jack'll get us outa this." The girl smiled. "I'm worried about my mom though."

Sam looked back at Janet, whose eyes met hers instantly, trying to read her condition. Sam grinned and nodded that she was ok.

"You're mom is tough Cass, she can handle this."

"I know. But she worries alot."

"When did you grow up huh?" Sam smiled. Cassie smiled back.

A crack in the bushes ahead had Jack stopping in his tracks and his ears sharp.

"What are you stopping for? Keep moving!" Carl ordered.

"I heard something."

"I don't care what you heard. Move!"

He emphasized the order by pushing Daniel forward with the muzzle of the pistol. Daniel and Janet started walking, but Jack stayed still. A man broke through the bushes a few feet in front of him and Jack jumped back surprised. Tommy grinned at him then nodded up at Carl.

"Tom! Bout time you got here." Carl smiled. "What do ya think about out leverage?"

Tommy shrugged. Jack studied the new player of the 'game' and decided right away that this one was even more dangerous then the first. Their odds of coming out of this without people getting hurt were decreasing drastically. He kicked himself for not taking Carl down earlier when he saw the so called 'sniper' had been hiking down the hill to meet up with them, instead of watching them at ready through the scope of his rifle. His eyes fell back to Sam. She shook her head, silently telling him it wasn't his fault.


	9. Chapter 9

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** I have been made aware that the interwinding storylines between SG1 and the Baddies are a bit hard to follow. So I've inserted () in between to notify you of the jumps. I apologize for the confusion and thank you to PatriciaS for the recommendation. Also, thank you all for the great reviews, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to update this last week as I was out of town. I will be getting this thing rolling again soon. Thanks for your patience and feedback is always welcome. Enjoy!

"Damn!" Devin swore quietly as she dropped behind a tree.

She had been struggling to pull herself over a large rock, as she came up alongside the group, and was met with the site of another, much leaner, armed man, standing directly in front of her. She dropped to the ground and prayed that he hadn't seen her, or heard her. She listened to his steady breathing and then to his quiet footsteps as he walked away. She closed her eyes and let out a quiet breath, then scanned the area for Koda. Though the dog was excellent in tracking, he was horrible in camouflage. His bright white fur stood out brightly against the dark greens and browns of the terrain. She spotted the dog a couple meters ahead, standing on the top of a large rock, staring down at her.

"I need to get in front of them," she said quietly to herself.

The idea had come to her a few minutes ealier. Get in front of them and leave them a signal of some kind. Let them know she's there and help will arrive shortly. She knew alot of the hieroglyphs used by the native indian tribes of the area, but doubted they would make anything of them, having seen a fair share of them already, and not in the position for site seeing. She needed something that would stand out, but not be obvious to their kidnappers. A light went on in her hand and she forced herself to stand, and ignored her swaying vision, and hurried up the small incline as quietly as possible.

Jack glared at the addition to the group and couldn't help but to feel slightly defeated. The man didn't say a word, merely stared right back at him with dangerous blue eyes. Jack reluctantly looked away, knowing he shouldn't provoke the armed men. Not with Cassie involved. He turned his head away and was instantly distracted by a flash of white moving through the trees a good thirty yards away. He had forgotten about the dog the second he had walked into the cabin that morning. Now the dog was there, following them at a distance. He remembered Devin saying that the dog was quite the tracker. As he watched the dog disappear behind some thick bushes, he hoped that the woman was out there somewhere, and had brought friends to help.

Just as Jack was focusing back on walking his site fell on a large rock, shaded by a bushy tree. Scrolled across the rock was a line of dark smooth scribbles that looked vaguely familiar to Jack, but definately weren't like any of the indian tribe hieroglyphs they had seen previously. And he knew for a fact, ancient indian tribes didn't write in marker.

"Daniel," he whispered and pointing at the rock with his eyes.

Daniel glanced and the stone and his eyes went wide.

"Thats different." he said quietly.

"What is it?"

"Its Hebrew."

"It's Devin." Jack began walking again to keep from being noticed by their captures.

"What, she's here?" Daniel kept his face forward, though he couldn't help but scan the area with his eyes.

"I saw the dog a while back ago. Guess she's out there somewhere after all. What did it say?"

"Oh, roughly translated, it says slow down."

"Hey I need to rest." Jack called back to Carl and Tommy without thinking twice.

"What are you whining about?" Carl growled, pushing Daniel aside and coming up next to Jack.

"My knees are trashed. I need to sit down for a few minutes." he lied.

Carl looked around at the ragged looking group and settled his attention on Sam, who was starting to look a little wobbly. He turned back to Jack and nodded. Janet immediately came up next to Sam and felt her sweat covered forehead, and grimaced.

"Fevers setting in a little Sam. Drink some water, I'm gonna clean that up."

Janet set down the first aid kit and looked down at the duct tape wrapped tightly around her friends arm. She kicked herself for having used it, but at the time she didn't have the first aid kit, and it was the best she could think of. She carefully pulled the tape away from the angry looking would, ignoring the quiet hiss that came from Sam. She then proceeded to dump a bottle of sterile water into the wound, and dabbed it lightly with a rolled up peice of cause, trying to get any kind of depris out of it. Finally, she accepted that it was as clean as she could get it, and she wrapped it tightly with a new roll of gauze, and secured it into place with a piece of tape. Sam nodded her thanks and took the two ibuprophen that Janet handed her, emptying the bottle of water into her mouth.

Devin quickly closed the lid to the sharpie marker the she carried in her pocket for labeling and tagging. She read over the writing on the rock in front of her and swore when it danced and blurred in her vision. She blinked hard and tried again, but opened her eyes, only to see the ground rushing up to meet her. She landed hard, and lay motionless for a minute, trying to figure out what had happened. The face of the dog appeared in her vision and he licked her face. She slowly turned her face away from the foul breath of the canine, but his oversized tongue followed the motion. Finally she managed to roll onto her stomach and push herself up onto her knees. She sat back on her feet for a few minutes, focusing only on breathing. With the help of the rock and tree next to her, she pushed herself back up to a standing position, and pressed on.

The afternoon sun should have been sitting high above them by now, but instead, the morning clouds had stayed thick and had gradually grown darker. Jack stared up at the thick clouds and cursed when they had began dropping light drops of rain. He prayed their rescue had already picked up their trail. If the rain got any worse, their trail would be washed away without a trace.

"Where's the Ranger?" Tommy asked Carl quietly as they followed the group.

"Dead hopefully." Carl answered. "I beat the hell out of her. She managed to get away, but anyone with that much blood on 'em won't last a day out here. She'll have every animal for miles stalkin her. I wouldn't be surprised if nobody ever finds a piece of her."

"What if she got word out?"

"They won't be able to pick up our trail. Especially since its rainin. They'll be no tracks, no scent, no nothin. We'll be right where we started only with more leverage. Before if we got caught there was one kid to negotiate with. Now we've got six pawns."

A rescue team actually had been organized and were now trudging through the demolished cabin. They had talked to Ben at the shop and picked up a discription of the man that had been in the store the previous day, and produced a sketch to pass around to other campers. J.D. and a few other Rangers had teamed up with two federal agents, hired by the Jamisons, and where quickly searching the edge of the cabin for any sign of a trail.

They had picked up numerous footprints leading all around the cabin, but had to start over each time when the trail ended. Finally they had found a light trail that they had been following for nearly a mile and were rushing to catch up before the rain began destroying their only lead.

A few minutes later, J.D. came to a stop and looked down at the trail leading up the slope away from him. Also, a few feet to his left he spotted some blood speckles along the ground.

"She fell." he said quietly. "Why is she going that way, when the trail clearly goes the other way?"

"Think they may have seperated?" Another Ranger asked him.

"I don't see why they would."

"Maybe someone grabbed her."

"Possible, but I don't see any signs of a fight. I think she's getting along side them. Maybe in front of them."

"Why would she do that?"

"She's gonna try and slow them down for us." J.D. grinned at the notion.

J.D. had known Devin since they were kids. Over the years their friendship had faultered as they grew apart in interests and friends. Where Devin had always been happier alone in the woods, J.D. was a social butterfly. Eventually this had caused him to move out into town and marry his wife, with whom they had two children. Though they weren't really friends anymore, J.D. found he could still predict the actions of the woman, sometimes refusing to believe them as she was unorthodox and just flat out crazy at times. But they had always come through, and she was still alive and kicking. He feared this would be one of those plans.

"We need to hurry." he said and began trotting up after the path left by the group of hostages.


End file.
